all photos by Chelsea Francis

It’s been eight months since we got engaged, and time continue to fly by at a pace much faster than I’m able to keep track of! From an Austin engagement to an Austin wedding, pulling together all these pieces and parts has been somewhat time-consuming, but it’s honestly been a fun process. A common thread that runs through everything we choose is wanting the event to feel like Austin. This place has been so good to us and we want our out-of-town friends and family to experience the warmth and hospitality (and amazing food!) that make our city a destination. The wedding itself is along South Congress, so we wanted our engagement photos to be sort of a teaser trailer for what our guests can expect.

If you live in Austin, there’s a good chance you’ve met Chelsea: photog extraordinaire, gal about town and all-around sweetheart, she clearly knocked it dead with these shots. If you need photos for any occasion, I cannot recommend her enough: I’m thrilled that she’s also our wedding photographer! I’m excited to see all of the planning and coordination finally taking shape. The wedding finally feels like A Thing and not some weird abstract thought, if that makes any sense.

The wedding planning process is kind of a dream come true for a checklist-abiding, Type A nutso like me. The whole venture really is like having a part-time job: nothing but e-mails, calls, decisions, and spreadsheets. Speaking of part-time jobs, it seems everyone in this town works at least two gigs, or a day job and a side hustle, or several freelance projects at once. Austinites are a busy, social breed and I count myself in this group lately: between a full-time job, wedding planning and other creative ventures, there hasn’t been a lot of down time these days. Life is crazy, but life is good.

I’m so grateful that I’m able to say I’m in a good place now, much better than earlier this summer when I honestly felt like I was drowning. Things won’t always be a certain way, and ups and downs are just part of life (and marriage, from what they tell me).

Next on the wedding docket is finding flowers, a day-of coordinator and renting a ceremony arch and potentially other décor: any Austin vendors you’d personally recommend for these areas? Let me know in the comments!